Aluminum pontoon assemblies are widely used for recreational watercraft and, to some extent, for aircraft and larger watercraft and for commercial use too. Many are based on cylindrical tubes with a conical shaped termination (typically referred to as a nose cone) at the front end. Efforts to improve the overall performance of such pontoons have resulted in various types of planing surfaces added to the outer surfaces of such pontoons. Some such efforts have improved performance, but with attendant labor and material costs in manufacturing them. Improvement is needed.